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Author Topic: wanted to buy hive in burdekin area  (Read 3834 times)

Offline tina

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wanted to buy hive in burdekin area
« on: April 19, 2011, 05:51:58 pm »
I recently bought a hive from townsville and would like just one more, I will pay cash on the spot and don't mind if the hive itself is a bit old or rough as I will be putting the bees into new hive boxes anyway.

Offline Grieth

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Re: wanted to buy hive in burdekin area
« Reply #1 on: April 20, 2011, 07:54:27 am »
Split your hive when swarming comes - you'll get a second hive and avoid losing a swarm. 
Also, in spring put out a new box with a Nasonov Bee Pheromone capsule pinned to a frame it is very cheap to buy (Bobs Bee Keeping in Melb sells five for $15) -  (and add an old drawn frame so the box looks like a colony once lived there).
If you are in the Burdekin there will probably be quite a few swarms around come the season.
"The time has come," the walrus said, "to talk of many things:
Of shoes and ships - and sealing wax - of cabbages and kings”
Lewis Carroll

Offline tina

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Re: wanted to buy hive in burdekin area
« Reply #2 on: April 20, 2011, 06:07:05 pm »
Thanks for the advise    I'll try it

Offline Lone

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Re: wanted to buy hive in burdekin area
« Reply #3 on: April 23, 2011, 09:30:22 am »
Sorry Tina, I split a hive two days ago but it's bound for the person who gave me my original beehive who misses them. 
Where is Rita Island?  I'm the inland side of Townsville.  Have you been in touch with the beekeeping club in Townsville?

Grieth, my trial swarm trap got blown down in the cyclone and washed away in the flood, but I didn't have drawn comb in it for fear of wax moth making a mess.  How do you prevent this?

Lone

Offline tina

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Re: wanted to buy hive in burdekin area
« Reply #4 on: April 23, 2011, 05:41:39 pm »
rita is is 25 km east of ayr    if you're in ayr look for the sign to hellhole creek    that's us     it's called that because of the sandies

Offline Grieth

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Re: wanted to buy hive in burdekin area
« Reply #5 on: April 24, 2011, 03:02:19 am »
Lone,

Nothing you can do that I have heard of, just use foundation or just starter strips of foundation.  Some down here say that there is less chance of disease if a swarm has to start on foundation.  The pheromone attracts them and it is cheap.  Drawn can be good if you are capturing a swarm as they say it makes them more likely to stay.  Not sure there is a lot of science in it as most have a strong opinion that often differs from beek to beek, prob based on occasional successes.
"The time has come," the walrus said, "to talk of many things:
Of shoes and ships - and sealing wax - of cabbages and kings”
Lewis Carroll

Offline Lone

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Re: wanted to buy hive in burdekin area
« Reply #6 on: April 24, 2011, 09:47:45 am »
Happy Easter, folks.

Thanks Grieth.  I think you are right that there seem to be quite a few beeks around Tina's area, so there could be some opportune swarms.
Tina, the only place I've been to in Ayr is the pet shop, but Hellhole Creek sounds a lovely place to live, probably even better than our local creek, Hogsflesh.  By the way, you might be able to get on the local swarm catcher list.  They say it's possible to have swarms all year in Nth QLD, but mainly in spring onwards.  You can ask around and someone is bound to know of bush hives if you are able to do a cut out or trap out, or you might find a beek who can give you a split. While you are doing constructions, have you got a nuc box ready too? It is not easy to get bees here, for sure.  Those Melburnians down there don't realise they're sitting on a bee goldmine.

Lone

Offline tina

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Re: wanted to buy hive in burdekin area
« Reply #7 on: April 24, 2011, 05:37:31 pm »
thanks actually i know 2 of the professional beeks here   i'll ask them for a swarm as i know they catch them     i don't like to ask for a split as they are struggling with SHB damage and some of their strong hives they went to split were too infected to split   i'm still waiting on my new hive   you know what mail service is like up here   

Offline ozbee

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Re: wanted to buy hive in burdekin area
« Reply #8 on: April 30, 2011, 05:01:00 am »
feed 50 % white sugar water and split . there is a commercial queen rearer in the area . as soon as the shortest day of the year pasts  mid june   go for it just split hive in half top and bottom super  squash old queen introduce new queen in both in four weeks two set up full strength hives also coolibah will flower there just before christmas nice honey hives feed sugar will draw out your foundation easily as your in hot tropics

Offline tina

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Re: wanted to buy hive in burdekin area
« Reply #9 on: April 30, 2011, 06:30:42 pm »
i'm going to see if i can get one of the pros to do this     we're still that new at it     they'll be re-queening just down the road from us     am already feeding sugar   gallons of it

 

anything